A 100-foot ‘walking tree’ in New Zealand, reminiscent of an Ent from “The Lord of the Rings,” stands as the lone survivor of a lost forest and has been crowned New Zealand’s Tree of the Year. This northern rātā tree (Metrosideros robusta), over 150 years old, appears to stride across an empty field.
The tree, known as the “walking tree,” has leg-like trunks that give it an Ent-like appearance. It stands at 105 feet tall and is one of New Zealand’s tallest flowering species, capable of living up to 1,000 years. Its unique roots and branches enhance its resemblance to the fictional tree-like guardians of Middle-earth.
Located in a paddock near a cemetery on the west coast of South Island, this tree triumphed in the New Zealand Arboricultural Association’s Tree of the Year award, capturing 42% of the public vote. “It just strode out into the lead right from the very start,” said Brad Cadwallader, the competition organizer.
NZ Arb president Richie Hill praised the tree as an “exceptional feature” and a prime example of New Zealand’s remarkable trees. Although its exact age is unknown, the tree is the last remnant of a forest cleared around 150 years ago. The farming family who spared it likely recognized its special nature.
Northern rātā trees start as epiphytes, growing on host trees before their roots reach the ground. The walking tree’s unusual root layout probably resulted from growing around its now-gone host tree, giving it its distinctive walking appearance.
These trees, which bloom bright red flowers between November and January, were once common in New Zealand’s forests but are now nationally vulnerable due to deforestation and threats from invasive possums, hybridization with pōhutukawa trees, and susceptibility to myrtle rust, a pathogenic fungus.
